Brandon D.

Saxophone

Levels Taught:

Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

With over 5 years of professional teaching experience, and 10 years of professional performance experience, I am well equipped to give saxophone lessons to students of all skill levels! I tailor my students' lessons to their specific needs and interests, while ensuring development of proper embouchure and technique. I am able to teach classical saxophone, jazz, rock, blues, and other genres, as well as music composition.

Brandon teaches

Brandon passed a background check that includes a SSN verification,
national criminal record check, and sex offender registry search.
Learn More

Brandon delivers an exceptional lesson experience and ranks in the top
15% of our teachers nationwide.

Teaches students:

Ages 10+

Teaching since:

2012

Composer and saxophonist Brandon has emerged in the music scene as a pioneering jazz and classical musician. His unique style of jazz composition and publications in the field of quarter tone music set him apart from the crowd.

Brandon is well-known for his advancements in the field of quarter tone music. His book, Quarter Tone Technique for Saxophone, is the first of its kind. This book explorers the possibilities of this music and its application on saxophone farther than anyone else in the past has. His unique compositions use this extended technique to create new sound atmospheres which were previously unexplored.

Brandon, along with Evan Smith, co-leads Ghost House, a six-member modern jazz group known for its original compositions. His compositions for this group explore his own modern composition ideas, while remaining true to the rich tradition of jazz music.

Brandon is a member of The Dirty Bohemians. This is a funk/hard rock group led by Zach Birnbaum. This group is well-known in New Jersey as a tight group with high-calibre original compositions.

Brandon is also a member of The Third Arrangement, a fusion/rock group led by Nate MacAdams. This group performs originals and well-known rock/fusion songs.

Brandon performs in a variety of venues, including Chris’s Jazz Cafe, the Washington Banquet and Catering, Sandi Pointe Coastal Bistro, Shanghai Jazz, and the Tuckahoe Inn, as well as Rowan University, NJMEA Convention, and the University of Maryland. He is based in South Jersey, where he primarily performs, but he also occasionally travels out-of-state.

Brandon began studying saxophone as a teenager, both as a classical and as a jazz musician. He attended Rowan University for a performance degree in Jazz Studies, where he also studied classical saxophone technique, as well as music composition, where he studied with Timothy Powell, Denis DiBlasio, Carl Cox, and Roberto Pace. During the early years of his career, he performed regularly in his home state of New Jersey.

In 2014, Brandon received the Bill Walters NJJS Jazz Scholarship through the New Jersey Jazz Society, where he was invited to perform at the Shanghai Jazz restaurant with a group from the William Paterson University. He also performed at the 2014 NJMEA Convention with the New Jersey Intercollegiate Jazz Band. In 2016, Brandon was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda honors society.

I have known Brandon since 2012. We entered Rowan together to major in music. Brandon has always been the "go-to" saxophonist at the music department. He is widely knowledgeable not only in music but also in several academic aspects. Definitely a fun person to work with, and to talk to. I am completely sure that if you take lessons with Brandon, you will not only grow as a musician but also as a person.
Without having finished at Rowan, Brandon has already written and published a book. This speaks not only of his self-motivation, but also about the seriousness with which he takes his career as a musician. Students who chose to study with him will surely be influenced by all of his positive aspects.
Definitely recommended!

I have worked with Brandon since 2014 in several diifrrent music settings, and have taken a several lessons with him on saxophone (I'm a keyboard player). He is a consumate professional to play with and learn from.

When teaching, he is very good at explaining what you need to change, and how to do it in an easy to understand way. He is also very nice and encouraging, and inspired me to do better in my playing. He is punctual and will work with you to make things work for all involved, and has a fair rate for lessons.